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IOOS website gets a digital facelift! https://ioos.noaa.gov/

From the IOOS Program Office:

• Certification: Congrats to SCCOOS for submitting their package for certification.

• Check out May/June 2016 MTS Journal, Volume 50, Number 3: Data Impacts and Lessons Learned from Ocean Observing Systems Worldwide: Guest Editors: Vembu Subramanian, Donna M. Kocak, Ian Walsh, Joshua Henson, and Mairi Best.  A number of IOOS authors contributed.  See partial list below. From the Foreword by the Guest Editors: “It is very timely that this special MTS Journal issue focuses on gathering and presenting the readers ‘Lessons Learned’ on the data impacts and socio-economic benefits of ocean observing systems to key stakeholders. Included in this issue are a collection of commentaries and manuscripts that provide a worldwide perspective from experts on 1) the implementation and utilization of ocean observing systems for society and coastal communities, 2) sensor technology assessment in various forecasting applications, and 3) the importance of data management and open data access and sharing to answer science questions and understand the complex issues facing our planet Earth. The articles are targeted toward a variety of audiences that includes students, educators, scientists, data managers, and technologists engaged in implementation of end-to-end ocean observing systems focused on acquiring, delivering, and utilizing high-quality data.”
  • Forward: Vembu Subramanian, Donna M. Kocak, Ian Walsh, Joshua Henson, Mairi Best
  • Sharing Data: Not Just Policy but a Good Idea, Zdenka Willis
  • Ocean Observing: Serving Stakeholders in the Pacific Islands, Melissa M. Iwamoto, Fiona Langenberger, Chris E. Ostrander
  • Landmark Agreement Sets Precedent for Industry Data Sharing, Molly McCammon
  • Opportunity Lost? Ocean Observing in the Gulf of Mexico, Stephanie Watson, Barbara Kirkpatrick, Nadine Slimak
  • Importance of Wave Observations for Model Validation Within the San Pedro Bight, California Julie Thomas, Jennifer McWhorter, Corey Olfe

Observation Subsystem and Sensor Technologies:

• HF Radar/Radio (IOOS national coordinator , Jack Harlan; Jack.Harlan@noaa.gov):  
  • No update.

• Glider Update:
  • Quarterly glider DAC Webinar:  Thursday, July 14th at 2 PM EST.  We will cover changes to the DAC to improve glider deployment attribution, quality control execution, and delayed mode data plans.  If you would like to sign-up for the webinar, please contact Rob.Ragsdale@noaa.gov.   
  • IOOS Glider Survey: Thanks to those that have completed.  Did you not receive the survey but want to participate? Contact becky.baltes@noaa.gov.

Data Management and Communications (DMAC) Subsystem and Tools Built on IOOS data (DMAC list serve – contact Derrick or Rob - Derrick.Snowden@noaa.gov, Rob.Ragsdale@noaa.gov):

• IOOS Catalog:  The IOOS Catalog was updated with the latest pycsw release 1.10.4, providing the ability to query by ServiceType and allowing IOOS’ catalog-driven workflows to now be tested against the Catalog CS-W service alongside NCEI GeoPortal.

• QARTOD Update (lead Mark Bushnell - mark.bushnell@noaa.gov): Water level QC manual press releases were noted in the current issue of the IEEE/OES Beacon and Sea Technology magazine.

• AOOS - Gulf of Alaska Hydrology Model:  Visualizations are complete on a hydrology model of the State of Alaska that estimates historic stream flow discharge and snow water equivalent depth from 1978 to 2014. See the model here. This work was done through an NPRB-funded project, "The contributions of precipitation and glacial processes to freshwater fluxes into the Gulf of Alaska."

Modeling and Analysis Subsystem (IOOS PO and IOOS Coastal Ocean Modeling Testbed (COMT) POC – Becky Baltes, Becky.Baltes@noaa.gov):   

• COMT Annual Meeting: The meeting will be held Aug 25-26 at SURA HQ in DC.  In particular we are asking our Federal partners and transition partners to attend.  All are welcome. Haven’t received your invite? Contact becky.baltes@noaa.gov.

Interagency and International Collaboration/News:

• Citizen Scientists Track Algal Blooms Website: General aviation (GA) pilots are functioning as citizen scientists to help develop an early warning system to alert communities of ensuing algal bloom along the coastline.  For more information contact Dr.  Rafat Ansari, NASA John H. Glenn Research Center, rafat.r.ansari@nasa.gov.

Delivering the Benefits:

• Talking Ocean Economics: Zdenka and Ralph Rayner participated in “Exploring the Economic Potential of Data from Ocean Observatories”, An OECD Ocean Economy Group workshop organized in collaboration with the AtlantOS project.  You can find Zdenka’s presentation here. Ocean observatories play a crucial role in our understanding of the oceans and beyond, but their impacts in our societies and the wider economy is still questioned, at a time when policy-makers need ever more evidence-based information to guide their priorities-setting. Many countries have indeed made over the years large public-sector investments to collect data about various aspects of the ocean, including climate-ocean land interactions, environmental and physical oceanographic changes, geological risk assessments, etc.

The workshop had two main objectives: review the state of evaluation and socio-economic impact assessments of ocean observations today, and discuss a potential framework for improving our common international knowledge base.  The technical workshop brought together 23 invited experts from academia, research centers, ministries, industry and international organizations and networks. Some lessons learned from the workshop include:

1. There is a growing demand worldwide for better socio-economic impact assessments to justify public spending. Improving the international knowledge base is needed, and the timing could be right to launch a pragmatic activity, with concrete outputs useful to the larger community, involving stakeholders from the ocean community and economists.
2. Policy makers and the science community would also benefit from better connecting diverse ocean observation systems in order to increase efficiency of the systems and facilitate more efficient funding. This also includes better coordination of data collection in some cases, and the AltantOS project is an important mechanism in that context.  

From here OECD will write a scoping paper and determine how this can be included in the larger framework of the OECD Ocean Economy programme of work for 2017-18.

Congressional:  

• Reed, Whitehouse, Langevin Announce Ocean Observation Funding for URI: Through the US IOOS, NERACOOS award. http://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/news/release/reed-whitehouse-langevin-announce-ocean-observation-funding-for-uri

Communications/Outreach/Education:

• Alaska Ocean Observing System receives USD 2.5 million in funding: http://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/alaska-ocean-observing-system-receives-usd-2-5-million-in-funding

• PacIOOS participated in the 5th annual North Shore Ocean Fest at Turtle Bay: The event was hosted by the North Shore Ocean Education Coalition (NSOEC) and provided a fun atmosphere for approximately 5,000 community members and visitors to learn about the importance of our oceans. The PacIOOS booth highlighted nearshore water quality monitoring and offered hands-on activities for children and their families. The activities included learning about salinity in our ocean and measuring turbidity by using secchi disks.

Upcoming Meetings with IOOS Participation:

• Oceans '16 - Gearing up:
  • QARTOD Session shaping up nicely.
  • Zdenka will present the IOOS and NOAA Ocean Enterprise Study
  • Townhalls:
    • 10:30 am, 21 September: IOOS Office and Monterey Bay International Trade Association  - “The ‘Blue Silicon Valley’ Emerges from the ‘Serengeti of the Sea’’
    • 1:00 pm, 21 September: IOOS Office and Global Ocean Design LLC – Ocean Innovation and Unique Partnerships
  • IOOS Office and CeNCOOS are teaming up with NOAA for an exhibition booth.

View the IOOS calendar: https://ioosassociation.org/.